Left Out of This Coaching Cycle, Eric Bieniemy Is Running Out of Options
A year ago, Bieniemy left the Chiefs in hopes of bolstering his head coaching resume by calling plays in Washington. Now he’s out of a job altogether. What happened?
When Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid disclosed on Wednesday that Eric Bieniemy visited with the team’s offensive players and even assisted with some play installation before of their AFC championship game against the Ravens, it was one of the unexpected surprises of Super Bowl week.
This is intriguing as Bieniemy does not currently hold a position in the NFL. Bieniemy worked on Ron Rivera’s Washington staff as the offensive coordinator and associate head coach during the previous season, but he was fired as part of the Commanders’ most recent regime change. Washington, which was typical of their entire coaching staff, of course search, thank you, did interview Bieniemy for its top vacancy, but seemingly knew his days there were numbered in time to grant him permission to visit the Chiefs two weeks ago. Dan Quinn wound up getting the head coaching job in D.C. and hired Kliff Kingsbury as his offensive coordinator; Quinn clarified in his introductory press conference that Bieniemy was indeed out. He was fired with a year left on his contract, according to The Washington Post.
That puts Bieniemy in a curious spot: He’s coveted for his insights by the best team in the league, but unwanted by the rest. So, what gives?
